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Two friends helped lay the groundwork for Chattanooga’s first sister city in Africa

Staff photo by Olivia Ross / Bea Kennebrew, left, and Kanika Wellington-Jones pose for a photo April 12 outside of Chattanooga City Hall. The two friends helped lay the groundwork for Chattanooga's first sister city in Africa. Staff photo by Olivia Ross / Bea Kennebrew, left, and Kanika Wellington-Jones pose for a photo April 12 outside of Chattanooga City Hall. The two friends helped lay the groundwork for Chattanooga's first sister city in Africa.

By David Floyd April 18, 2024 6 min read

A few years ago, Kanika Wellington-Jones was meeting an employee in the mayor’s office when she noticed a board listing all of Chattanooga’s sister cities.

“I saw all these international locations — China, Japan, Germany,” she said in an interview.

But, she was struck by one notable omission: Although 2020 census figures showed Hamilton County has 64,000 Black residents, Chattanooga did not have a sister city on the continent of Africa.

“Even though I was so excited about all those places that were up there, because I love diversity, I didn’t see anything that looked like me,” Wellington-Jones said.